Fall Creek Christian Church

"You made me; you created me. Now, give me the sense to follow your commands."  Psalms 119:73  "This is so easy," I said to myself as I loosened the car's headlight. After messing with it for a few minutes, the tube exploded in my hands. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt, but it did alert me to the fact that the bulb I broke was the high beam not the burned out low beam. "Amazingly," when I went online to learn how the lights were positioned on the car by the ones who made the car, I was able to replace it. The Psalmist, in our verse for the day, answers some important questions. Who made us? God did. Who created us? Yep, still God. So, if we were interested in any way as to how life was supposed to work, who would have the inside track? And, once again, the answer is God himself. Graciously, he has provided instructions for us to follow. The only missing piece is the sense to do that. Good news! God will also provide that to any who will ask. Decis...

"My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? ... Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law."  James 2:1-9 Many years ago, I was in Mississippi with a group of teens on a service trip working with an African American pastor friend of mine in his community. One day, I went with him into the local hardware store for supplies. I was immediately taken aback as the employees working there attempted to talk past him to talk to me. I hadn't felt prejudice before. It was ugly. I watched amazed as my friend graciously redirected their conversation to him.  Jesus' brother James was a straight shooter. He knew the implications of what his brother had said about loving one's neighbor. He was witnessing too man...

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."  Hebrews 10:23-25  It was and still is an exciting time when our family enters into a group decision. Everyone really knows what they'd like to do or where they'd like to go, but no one wants to come off as "it's all about me." It's fun to watch the back and forth, the "decision dance" if you will. Eventually, the multitude of options shrink until there is the agreed upon, "Let us ... ." I'm just thankful to be included in the us! After marveling at the wonder of the person of Jesus, his role, his identity and his work, the author identifies a few accompanying "Let us" action step...

"Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed."  Hebrews 7:16  Standing at the base of Niagara Falls was absolutely awe inspiring. I'm sure we looked like ants to the people above. The water thundered as it crashed onto the rocks and into the river. Upon boarding the boat that ventured to the other set of the falls, we were quickly overwhelmed by the sound and the splashing water that gave the illusion of being caught in a serious thunderstorm. It was simply raw power. The writer of Hebrews was marveling at power as well. It wasn't the power of nature nor was it a power generated by the work of any human hands. It was the power of the impossible. The something from nothing power that God alone possesses. Jesus' body succumbed to death but Jesus did not. It could not hold him. His life was indestructible. This power uniquely positions him to bridge the di...

"Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops." Proverbs 26:20 Our family loves campfires. As the sun sets and the air cools, the fire pit quickly becomes the place of focus. A few sticks. A few pieces kindling. A click of the lighter and we're off to the races. Stories get told. Laughter breaks out from faces glowing orange from the warm dancing flames. We'll sit there for hours on end, until the wood runs out. When that happens, the fire quickly fades and the cool air chases us to the fireplace inside.  Solomon, who authored the book of Proverbs, undoubtedly had experienced his share of campfires as well. He observed that quarrels fade out just like a fire will without wood. Quarrels require fuel to continue. He mentions the primary one by name -- gossip. Passing negative information around about others is sure to stir the pot. Remove it and peace has a chance. The ability to keep information about others in confidence or to sim...

"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because it was his plan from before the beginning of time -- to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News." II Timothy 1:9-10 Pick up football games have been a part of my life since my childhood. All that was needed was a handful of kids, a piece of grass, and a football. Most plays were, "You, go long. You, go short." Then we'd call "Shotgun!" then "Hike!" and then the "Mississippi(s)" would start. I noticed that when the games were close, the play planning took a little longer. With bragging rights on the line, it was no time to be caught without a good game plan. Paul spent tremendous amounts of time and energy sharing, reflecting upon, and...

"'Am I a God who is only close at hand?' says the Lord. 'No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?' says the Lord." Jeremiah 23:23-24 Several years ago, while on a river hike, we found a rock formation that looked just like a deep hot tub in the middle of the river. While in it, I took a deep breath and went down looking at the river forged walls. In the quietness of that moment, it hit me. God is here. He knows every crack and crevice. As a matter of fact, he knows what's going on under the water in every river on the planet! I came up for air...mind blown.  David reflected on this same reality in Psalm 139. The everywhere-present God. Jeremiah recorded God saying it himself. I'm everywhere. In the heavens? Yes. ALL the heavens? Yes. Everywhere in ALL the earth? Yes. The center of the sun? The unseen spiritual world? The deepest dark of space? Yes. Yes. An...